History and Theology

Relativity and Secularism – A Small Reflection

If one stays in the church long enough, one will hear about the dangers of secularism. I wonder where people get this notion. The world is not secular. On the contrary, the world is experiencing a revival of religion. Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and other groups are all on the rise.[1] The explosion of Christianity in China is one case in point. Continue reading…

Review of Humility: True Greatness – C. J. Mahaney

Humility: True Greatness is the title of C. J. Mahaney’s new book.[1] I really did not know what to expect when I ordered this book from Amazon. I assumed it would be a semi-scholarly treatment on humility.  I was completely mistaken. It is a pastoral treatment from Mahaney’s own life experiences. Initially I was a bit disappointed, not because it was a pastoral treatment, but because I really wanted to read about humility from a more historical and theological point of view. However, as I began to read I was drawn in, Continue reading…

A Critique of Categories in Society – A Reflection

Categories of thought are socially constructed. They have not always existed and they do not reflect objective reality. One example should suffice to illustrate this point. Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah, the eminent cultural anthropologist, convincingly demonstrates that the categories of religion and science were in no way in opposition for most of western history, unlike today. Continue reading…

Why I love missionaries

If you know me at all, you will immediately find out that I love frozen yogurt and missionaries (among a few other things). There are many things I could say about why I love the latter, but I will limit myself to one point that might seem less obvious. Continue reading…

The Manly Eunuch – Matthew Kuefler – An Application

About two years ago I read a fascinating book, The Manly Eunuch: Masculinity, Gender Ambiguity, and Christian Ideology in Late Antiquity by Matthew Kuefler.[1] Here is a brief synopsis:

Kuefler’s work straddles ancient history and gender studies. His basic thesis is that traditional Roman views of masculinity, based on military and political success,[2] experienced a shocking shift by the fifth century. Masculinity was no longer measured by mastery over political or military rivals, but by self-mastery, especially in the area of sexuality. Continue reading…

Who is a busybody?

As I was reading through 2 Thessalonians this morning, chapter 3 caught my attention. In this passage, Paul is urging his community of readers to work hard. He reinforces this point in several ways. First, he points out there are those who are idle in the community (3:11). Second, he bids the community to stay away from those who are idle (3:6). Continue reading…

Paul’s Slavery

In several places in Paul’s writing, he calls himself a slave.[1] When one studies these references within the broader literary context, one will see that for Paul the title of slave of Christ was something that he not only cherished, but also used to win over people to Christ. This might seem surprising, but within the historical context of Paul’s society and his theology, the paradox is resolved. Continue reading…